What a day!

So today was a busy day! I babysit 2 other children besides my own on a full time basis, which my girls actually really enjoy. They have other kids to play with, and it keeps them busy and playing well together. Today we were lucky enough to add 2 more to the bunch! Merv and Annie Young were packing up and loading the last of their stuff today, and so we took Chloe and Gracie to hng out at our house. I wish I got a picture! It was a lot of fun, but pretty tiring. It makes me think of my own mother, who had 7 children under 10. Today I had 7 children under 6, but only for one day. It made me really think about my mother and how much she did for me, and how much time and effort went into every single day that we were at home. WOW! She's seriously my hero. I never really realized until I was a mother, and I'm still realizing it more and more every day what she did for me and my brothers and sisters. THANKS MOM!!! You really are a wonderful mother, and I know that you sacrificed a lot for us. I know that a simple "thank you" is not enough to pay back all those hours that were put into raising me, but I hope to be able to let you know how incredibly thankful I am. I love you!

All alone

So, I'm here by myself (with children) until the beginning of May. Yep, Kevin is in New Brunswick doing his mandatory rotation in Emergency. I miss him, but try to keep myself busy (like checking other people's blogs, going on facebook and cleaning!) During the day it's fine, but nights are a bit lonely. It's amazing how much I take having Kevin around for granted. I guess I really love him alot! The girls miss him too; especially Monica. She is close to tears when she tells me (every day) that she wishes Daddy was here RIGHT NOW! Wouldn't you know it too, that Ethan rolled over for the first time while he's gone! It was a pretty exciting moment - the first real physical milestone for him! The girls think it is so exciting that he rolls over on his own now (from tummy to back). Next goal, rolling from back to tummy!

Skiing in March

Last month we thought it would be fun to take the girls skiing for their first time. Kevin is a better snowboarder than I am, but we figured it would be difficult to take the girls snowboarding, and so since I have been skiing a lot longer than Kevin, I took both girls, one at a time, skiing. It was a lot of fun! The greatest part was that the girls loved it and had an awesome experience. I'm hoping this leads to more confidence next time we go. By the end of the day my back was really hurting, and I didn't really have much energy to go on many runs on my own, but it was worth it. We were so sneaky too...Kristen fit into Monica's coat (kind of) as well as her skiis (with an extra pair of socks) and so we only had to pay for one rental and one lift ticket! If you look closely at the pictures you can tell (Monica on the left, Kristen on the right)!

Another post - a goal of mine

I accidentally published my last post twice, and I didn't know how to delete it, but I do know how to edit it, and so I decided just to make another post! So I just wanted to post one of my goals this year, because I know that if you tell people your goals, it helps you be more accountable and actually make them happen! So I want to run in a few races this year, and work my way up to a half marathon. I think a full marathon at this point would be a bit much, but maybe someday I will do one. I figure that you have to start small and work your way up! I would also like to do another triathlon as well, but my main goal is a half marathon. So now if you see me you can ask how my training is going, and maybe it will motivate me not to eat as many treats!

Looking forward to winter being over!

I've decided that life is busy, and that life can be hard. I think I am ready for it to be warm outside so that I can get outside and work off some energy. I think Mother Nature is teasing me - last week there were a few gorgeous days, then there were a few really rainy days, and then today it snowed again! I am definitely ready for it to be summer!

Our Little Boy

On December 22, at 2:22pm, a beautiful little boy, Ethan Mathias Calder, was born into our family. He was 8 lbs, 15 oz., and was 21 inches long. We were very excited and pleased to find out our baby was a litte boy, expecially Kevin. He was beaming for the rest of the day! Monica and Kristen love him a lot, and love to give him kisses, hugs, and try to give him toys to play with. They love to help me change his diaper, wrap him in his blanket, and even try to help feed him!

Ethan loves to sleep and eat, and has a very sweet and content personality. We love him so much!

Marriage is fun!

I've seen a lot of people with their lists of favourite things, lists of random facts about them, and other types of lists. I thought I would do a list of fun things that Kevin and I have done together that might be interesting to some of you. Here it is:

1. Backpacking in the mountains - one of the first things we did together after we were married was go on an overnight backpacking trip together, and we've done a few more trips since then - the West Coast Trail (6 days), and the Howe Sound Crest Trail(2 days) to name a few. They were awesome experiences, and it's amazing how conquering over nature brings you so much closer together!

2. Bungy jumping - I know it's crazy, and we didn't actually go at the exact same time, but we watched and recorded each other. What a rush! It was really scary!

3. Travelling (just the two of us) - so far we've been on two trips together. One to Europe in the first year of our marriage (pregnant with Monica), and the other one was to Mexico (pregnant with Kristen). Both times they were a lot of fun. It's a good thing I travel well being pregnant.

4. Running/excersizing - when we can, it is a lot of fun to get out and pound the pavement together, or get on our bikes together. It was fun to train for a triathlon together last year. Unfortunately, Kevin wasn't able to attend the triathlon, but it was fun to have his support!

5. Dancing - both Kevin and I love to dance, and we don't get many opportunities to do so as married folk. Gone are the days of institute dances when we were dating. Once in a while we will find a place to dance, and we have a great time! One of our favourite dances is to jive & swing. Kevin's pretty good at flipping me around!

6. Eating - I know that it goes without saying that most everyone loves to eat, but we love trying different ethnic foods. Vancouver was awesome for having a ton of different restaurants. Some of our favourite cuisines include East Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican and Japanese (sushi) to name a few.

There are other little things we like to do together, but these are the ones that maybe are unique to our relationship. We love having fun together!